Like A Rolling Stone
ROLLING STONES Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime,
Didn't you?

People'd call, say "Beware doll, you're
Bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't walk so proud
Now you don't talk so loud
About having to be scrounging for your
Next meal

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
A complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?

You've went to the finest school all right,
Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced
In it
Nobody has ever taught you how to
Live on the street
But now you find out you're gonna have
To get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you
Realize
That he's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
A complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty
People
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it
Made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and
Things
You'd better take your diamond ring,
You'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags with the language that
He used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't
Refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to
Lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to
Conceal

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home




Like a complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Like a Rolling Stone by The Rolling Stones tell the story of a protagonist who used to live a high life filled with luxury and opulence but has now fallen on hard times. The first few verses describe how the singer used to live in opulence and was oblivious to the struggles of the less fortunate members of society. However, now that the singer has hit rock bottom, they feel a sense of directionlessness and don't know what to do next. This feeling of uncertainty is captured in the chorus, where the lyrics repeatedly ask "How does it feel to be on your own with no direction home?"


The second half of the song sees the singer looking for some sort of redemption or salvation, but every attempt they make seems to result in failure. Even the people who they used to look down upon or ridicule now seem to be out of their reach. The song ends on a note of hopelessness and despair. The singer has become invisible to society, and there is no hope of ever regaining their former position.


Overall, the song is a commentary on the fickle nature of fortune and how easily we can lose everything we hold dear. The singer's journey from rags to riches and back to rags again is a warning to all those who aspire to wealth and fame.


Line by Line Meaning

Once upon a time you dressed so fine
There was a time when you dressed elegantly and people admired you for it.


You threw the bums a dime in your prime, Didn't you?
You were generous to the less fortunate people during your wealthy days, weren't you?


People'd call, say "Beware doll, you're Bound to fall"
People cautioned you that your fortune wouldn't last forever and that you will eventually face a downfall.


You thought they were all kiddin' you
You disregarded people's warning and thought that they were joking.


You used to laugh about Everybody that was hangin' out
You took pleasure in ridiculing those who didn't have as much wealth or status as you did.


Now you don't walk so proud Now you don't talk so loud About having to be scrounging for your Next meal
You have fallen on hard times and now you don't carry yourself with as much pride as before. You are struggling to get your next meal.


How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home A complete unknown Just like a rolling stone?
You feel lost and directionless, as if you are nobody and nothing. You feel like a rolling stone, constantly moving without a destination.


You've went to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely But you know you only used to get juiced In it
You attended a prestigious school, but you only indulged in drinking and did not learn any practical skills.


Nobody has ever taught you how to Live on the street But now you find out you're gonna have To get used to it
You never learned how to survive on the streets, but now you have no other choice.


You said you'd never compromise With the mystery tramp, but now you Realize That he's not selling any alibis As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes And say, do you want to make a deal?
You claimed that you would never make a compromise with someone who roams the streets, but now that you are in desperate need, you realize that he cannot offer any guarantee. You are willing to bargain with him.


Princess on the steeple and all the pretty People They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it Made Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and Things
The wealthy and privileged people are enjoying their lavish lifestyle and believe they have it all. They exchange valuable gifts and items.


You'd better take your diamond ring, You'd better pawn it, babe
You should sell your expensive possessions such as your diamond ring to survive.


You used to be so amused At Napoleon in rags and the language that He used Go to him now, he calls you, you can't Refuse When you got nothing, you got nothing to Lose
You used to mock people like Napoleon when they were poor and did not dress well. Now that you are in the same position, you cannot refuse his offer because you have nothing left to lose.


You're invisible now, you got no secrets to Conceal
You have lost your status and significance and have no secrets left to hide. You are now an insignificant and invisible person.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@spider-man9118

Reject lust, fear God. We must stay focused, brothers




Ayo I don’t mean to force anything on anyone, but we have various types of evidence for biblical events, if anyone is interested (read on)

Brothers, what have we done. look at us. look at what we've become. This isn't right. we're wasting time going on about girls and sus drawings that don't give a f*ck about us. What is the point of lust? Why do we do this? This doesn't fix our problems, doesn't make the stress and pain go away.

repent to God, friends. We must stay focused, brothers, on what really matters. I'm only 17, but I'm telling you, in the words of johnny cash, "sooner or later God will cut you down."
you will lose almost everything important to you. please, for your sakes, repent and turn to Jesus. He is, in the words of Skillet, "better than drugs." He is also better than lust. love > lust. You'll find out that this is true. love may hurt, and same for lust, but lust will keep you chained down, eventually killing you mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and possibly physically. hell was never meant for us, my fellow youtube user. it was for the devil and his squad, and God gave us the Way out of there since we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

God knew we were wack, but He decided He was still come down and help us, despite our unfaithfulness. most relationships (like friendships, romantic relationships) aren't like this. Very few, but not a whole lot.

religion (Christianity) is just a relationship with God along with loving others (see james 1:27)

also, we have various types of evidence that backs up the Bible.

Here's one example: Scientists have discovered that the earth "skipped" a day.
The Bible explains how that happened. In the book of Joshua, Joshua asked the sun to stop so he and the Israelites could defeat their enemies. Then in 2 Kings, King Hezekiah learned he was dying, and pleaded to God to not let him die. God sent a prophet to king hezekiah who said hezekiah would live. Hezekiah wanted a sign, and that would be for the sun to defy the law of inertia and go back 10 degrees. NASA confirmed it and did the math (look it up for more info).

We also found Noah’s Ark hanging out in turkey, along with anchor stones marked with crosses signifying that it’s a revered place, along with altars and many other things. Look it up, it’s good stuff.

more evidence for the Bible concerning cosmology and divine revelation in job 26:7, proverbs 8:27, Isaiah 40:22 (read on)

The idea that the earth was round can be dated back to 600 BC in Greece. It was more widely accepted around the 3rd century (300 BC-201 BC) Note: time was “labeled” differently back then. for example, year 3000, year 420, year 69, year 0, year 1, year 2… and so on.


Job 26:7: “. . .He [God] hangs the earth on nothing” The book of Job was supposedly written at 2100 BC.

Proverbs 8:27: “. . .when He drew a circle on the face of the deep. . .” Proverbs was possibly written between 970 and 686 BC

Isaiah 40:22: “it is He who sits above the circles of the earth. . .” Isaiah was written between 739 and 680 BC.

How did they know about this? You tell me, my fellow Zoomerz.

The Holy Spirit exists. I was a slave to s3xual sin for 7-ish d@mn years. Finally at 16, God freed me. Also, look up John Gabbana's (boonk gang) testimony. Dude did a lot of wacky stuff. He's changed now.

also, the soul exists. someone i know (i won't say who- privacy reasons) saw their soul leaving their body. like pulling off a band-aid, except it doesn't hurt.


I was suicidal for 9-ish months, but then I read John 3:16, and poof- the big sad went away in one night.

There are also non-Christian sources who have confirmed the existence and divinity of Jesus, some of which were hostile towards Christianity, such as:
Thallus (52 AD), who said Jesus lived, was crucified, and confirmed the darkness and earthquake that followed Christ’s crucifixion;
Tacitus (56-120 AD), who called the followers of Christ Christians, confirmed that Jesus was crucified under Pontus Pilate’s command
Talmud (400-700 AD), confirmed that the disciples were martyred for their faith, and confirmed Jesus was executed the day before the Passover, and said Jesus had “magical” powers
Pliny the Younger (61-113 AD), who said that the Christians thought Jesus was/is God in the Flesh (God the Son)
Phlegon (80-140 AD), who said Jesus had the ability to predict the future, and confirmed that Jesus was crucified during Caesar’s reign, confirmed Jesus rose from the dead, and confirmed He showed His wounds to confirm He was crucified.
Celcus (175 AD), who said Jesus was born of a virgin, said His father is a carpenter, and confirmed Jesus had miraculous powers
(See cold-case Christianity for more details)

Here’s the physical evidence of Jesus and His Resurrection:
1) No persecution would have started if He hadn’t come back (the disciples thought Jesus would never resurrect)
2) The Roman soldiers would have paid with their lives if they failed at their jobs
3) there was a 2-4 ton rock that 11-12 guys would have to move (they didn’t have any help. Everyone said “crucify Him”) major L to those opposed to Jesus
4) there was a Roman seal which was a metal pin that sealed the tomb stone
5) Stealing the Jesus’s body isn’t something the disciples would do (besides Judas. Although he hung himself after feeling remorse for betraying Jesus).
6) the disciples wouldn’t die for what they knew would be a lie. (The lie being Jesus never made the ultimate comeback)

faith and reason, people

hit me up to learn more about how science proves the Bible or just about God in general



@spider-man9118

Excellent taste in music


Reject lust, fear God, we must stay focused, brothers




Ayo I don’t mean to force anything on anyone, but we have various types of evidence for biblical events, if anyone is interested (read on)

Brothers, what have we done. look at us. look at what we've become. This isn't right. we're wasting time going on about girls and sus drawings that don't give a f*ck about us. What is the point of lust? Why do we do this? This doesn't fix our problems, doesn't make the stress and pain go away.

repent to God, friends. We must stay focused, brothers, on what really matters. I'm only 17, but I'm telling you, in the words of johnny cash, "sooner or later God will cut you down."
you will lose almost everything important to you. please, for your sakes, repent and turn to Jesus. He is, in the words of Skillet, "better than drugs." He is also better than lust. love > lust. You'll find out that this is true. love may hurt, and same for lust, but lust will keep you chained down, eventually killing you mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and possibly physically. hell was never meant for us, my fellow youtube user. it was for the devil and his squad, and God gave us the Way out of there since we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

God knew we were wack, but He decided He was still come down and help us, despite our unfaithfulness. most relationships (like friendships, romantic relationships) aren't like this. Very few, but not a whole lot.

religion (Christianity) is just a relationship with God along with loving others (see james 1:27)

also, we have various types of evidence that backs up the Bible.

Here's one example: Scientists have discovered that the earth "skipped" a day.
The Bible explains how that happened. In the book of Joshua, Joshua asked the sun to stop so he and the Israelites could defeat their enemies. Then in 2 Kings, King Hezekiah learned he was dying, and pleaded to God to not let him die. God sent a prophet to king hezekiah who said hezekiah would live. Hezekiah wanted a sign, and that would be for the sun to defy the law of inertia and go back 10 degrees. NASA confirmed it and did the math (look it up for more info).

We also found Noah’s Ark hanging out in turkey, along with anchor stones marked with crosses signifying that it’s a revered place, along with altars and many other things. Look it up, it’s good stuff.

more evidence for the Bible concerning cosmology and divine revelation in job 26:7, proverbs 8:27, Isaiah 40:22 (read on)

The idea that the earth was round can be dated back to 600 BC in Greece. It was more widely accepted around the 3rd century (300 BC-201 BC) Note: time was “labeled” differently back then. for example, year 3000, year 420, year 69, year 0, year 1, year 2… and so on.


Job 26:7: “. . .He [God] hangs the earth on nothing” The book of Job was supposedly written at 2100 BC.

Proverbs 8:27: “. . .when He drew a circle on the face of the deep. . .” Proverbs was possibly written between 970 and 686 BC

Isaiah 40:22: “it is He who sits above the circles of the earth. . .” Isaiah was written between 739 and 680 BC.

How did they know about this? You tell me, my fellow Zoomerz.

The Holy Spirit exists. I was a slave to s3xual sin for 7-ish d@mn years. Finally at 16, God freed me. Also, look up John Gabbana's (boonk gang) testimony. Dude did a lot of wacky stuff. He's changed now.

also, the soul exists. someone i know (i won't say who- privacy reasons) saw their soul leaving their body. like pulling off a band-aid, except it doesn't hurt.


I was suicidal for 9-ish months, but then I read John 3:16, and poof- the big sad went away in one night.

There are also non-Christian sources who have confirmed the existence and divinity of Jesus, some of which were hostile towards Christianity, such as:
Thallus (52 AD), who said Jesus lived, was crucified, and confirmed the darkness and earthquake that followed Christ’s crucifixion;
Tacitus (56-120 AD), who called the followers of Christ Christians, confirmed that Jesus was crucified under Pontus Pilate’s command
Talmud (400-700 AD), confirmed that the disciples were martyred for their faith, and confirmed Jesus was executed the day before the Passover, and said Jesus had “magical” powers
Pliny the Younger (61-113 AD), who said that the Christians thought Jesus was/is God in the Flesh (God the Son)
Phlegon (80-140 AD), who said Jesus had the ability to predict the future, and confirmed that Jesus was crucified during Caesar’s reign, confirmed Jesus rose from the dead, and confirmed He showed His wounds to confirm He was crucified.
Celcus (175 AD), who said Jesus was born of a virgin, said His father is a carpenter, and confirmed Jesus had miraculous powers
(See cold-case Christianity for more details)

Here’s the physical evidence of Jesus and His Resurrection:
1) No persecution would have started if He hadn’t come back (the disciples thought Jesus would never resurrect)
2) The Roman soldiers would have paid with their lives if they failed at their jobs
3) there was a 2-4 ton rock that 11-12 guys would have to move (they didn’t have any help. Everyone said “crucify Him”) major L to those opposed to Jesus
4) there was a Roman seal which was a metal pin that sealed the tomb stone
5) Stealing the Jesus’s body isn’t something the disciples would do (besides Judas. Although he hung himself after feeling remorse for betraying Jesus).
6) the disciples wouldn’t die for what they knew would be a lie. (The lie being Jesus never made the ultimate comeback)

faith and reason, people

hit me up to learn more about how science proves the Bible or just about God in general



All comments from YouTube:

@conorburke1999

Stone:
rolls

People in the 60s:
"This is literally the coolest shit ever."

@unclegardener

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@ryancoyle1595

thank you, Bob!

@brunofoster9583

Underrated comment

@dbzlucas10

nothing like a lsd trip to see some shit

@debonaire_nerd

Nobody covers Like A Rolling Stone like a band of Rolling Stones. 

@davidrpriest

Hendrix did a pretty job at Monterey.

@JohnnyBazooka

Yes, a great cover. The Stones and Hendrix could do that. Everyone else failed. :-)

@jvs333

Debonaire Nerd Jimi Hendrix 1967 Monterey

@ipanemasafado3183

Ummm, Hendrix!

More Comments

More Versions